Niña Calleja of the Philippine Daily Inquirer reports that Catholic Bishops Conference of Philippines (CBCP) president and Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Socrates Villegas has criticized the Rolling Stone magazine for hailing Pope Francis as a "rock star" pontiff at the expense of bringing down resigned Pope Benedict XVI.

Villegas said the magazine's feature on Pope Francis "could not be treated as responsible journalism" because it had to compare the present pope's lifestyle and popularity with that of his predecessor. "It praises Pope Francis at the expense of Pope Benedict. We should not bring down one to glorify another," Villegas said.

The magazine, which features icons of American pop culture, recently set a milestone by choosing Pope Francis to be on the cover for its February 2014 issue. The 77-year-old pontiff was hailed "for simple lifestyle and his opinions on homosexuality and real world economic issues," which were in contrast to the conservative stand and strict adherence to tradition practiced by Pope Benedict XVI.